A controversial sci-fi film with a perfect Roger Ebert score is streaming on Hulu

Ridley Scott’s 2012 science fiction film “Prometheus” is highly questioned by the public. “Prometheus” is a prequel to Scott’s 1979 classic “Alien” and explores the origins of that film’s central monster. In “Alien,” the Xenomorph is introduced as an ineffable, terrifying creature (part teeth, part aspic, part phallus) that a human crew stumbles upon during a routine deep-space mining expedition. Its origins are shrouded in mystery, making the creature, well, alien. “Prometheus,” however, ignores the events of the previous “Alien” sequels, going back in time to about 30 years before “Alien.” From there, it follows a different team on a mission to find the aliens they believe were responsible for creating humanity in the first place.

Many fans of the “Alien” film series find “Prometheus” disappointing, especially those who prefer it when the franchise is more action- and weapons-oriented, as in James Cameron’s “Aliens.” Scott’s prequel, on the other hand, is slow, heady, and features characters behaving illogically. Similarly, a mysterious black goo, which is discovered on the distant planet where most of “Prometheus” takes place, has a wide variety of mutagenic and reproductive abilities that are never adequately explained. Other people are likely to mention the film’s climax, in which two characters fleeing a huge wishbone-shaped rolling starship think nothing of running at a 90-degree angle to their current path of motion. You don’t have to look too hard to find someone who found the film disappointing upon its initial release.

Some critics, however, loved the film. the late one Roger Ebert He famously gave “Prometheus” four stars, admitting that its heady science fiction ideas about the origins of life in the universe were like catnip to him. Currently, “Prometheus” has a 73% critics rating on rotten tomatoes and is available to stream at your convenience on Hulu.

The plot of “Prometheus” is full of religious symbolism. The film begins on primordial Earth, where a tall, statuesque, pale-skinned alien humanoid drinks a creepy, self-destructive liquid. The humanoid’s body decomposes and melts in a nearby river, where its DNA (in microscopic close-up) is seen leaking into the ecosystem. This being, known as an Engineer, is seeding the Earth with his own DNA. Millions of years from now, humans will evolve on Earth based on that footprint. Engineers are our divine creators.

Fast forward to the year 2089, and a religious archaeologist named Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) has discovered ancient cave paintings indicating that the Engineers last visited Earth some 2,056 years earlier. Using the paintings as a map, she and a team of scientists board a ship (the USS Prometheus) to visit a distant planet where the aliens might have come from. However, what they find is full of mystery and foreboding. They discover the corpses of engineers, as well as warehouses of semi-organic boats that look like haunted houses. The scientists are half-drugged and terrified, so they get lost easily, despite their better map-making technology.

A sinister android named David (Michael Fassbender) is also present, and seems to know more about the mission than he lets on. He discovers the aforementioned goo and begins secretly giving it to his crewmates. The goo alters DNA and causes human bodies to act as cocoons for other, scarier alien monsters. Every non-engineer monster they encounter on the planet seems to have evolved specifically to take human life, either through violent attacks or through more disgusting means of forced reproduction. Elizabeth also discovers that the engineers intended to transport all of these murderous creatures to Earth. Why do engineers want to kill us?

It is strongly implied that the Engineers intended to exterminate humanity because we had the temerity to crucify Jesus Christ. Yes, “Prometheus” is that direct. In fact, it is suggested that Jesus of Nazareth was actually an engineer, probably sent to Earth to check on the humans his species created a few million years earlier (as seen in the prologue). When we rejected Christ’s message of unity and love, the Engineers became angry and spent the next 2,000 years designing special biological weapons. By extension, the alien xenomorphs seen in “Alien” were simply more weapons in that engineers’ arsenal. It is worth noting that there are Christmas trees on board the ship Prometheus, further deepening the Christian connections. “Prometheus” is a Christmas movie.

Ebert loved that sort of thing and noted as much in his review of “Prometheus.” He compared the film to golden age science fiction stories and appreciated that it “raises questions about the origin of human life and doesn’t have the answers.” Ebert also wrote:

“The film then develops horror scenes comparable to ‘Alien,’ though it relies more on action and weaponry than on the use of shadows and silence. For me, the most fascinating scenes involve the crew members exploring the passageways and caverns within the pyramid, obviously not visited in eons, and their experiences with some of the hibernating alien beings.”

Ebert was effusive, although he was not the majority. Some critics felt that the film was distant and illogical. Many, as noted above, did not like the film’s slow pacing and lack of action. Online critics have made videos analyzing the film’s alleged plot holes. “Prometheus” remains the subject of heated controversy to this day.

Personally, however, I agree with Ebert. “Prometheus” is a stone cold classic. Many of us are with Ebert.